Quick Fit {7} – Cold Water Therapy, Sitting Can Kill, Super Cheerleaders, and Saving for College

Have you heard about cold water therapy? This week looks at the health benefits as well as techniques and how to get started. Do you sit in front of a computer all day, and then perhaps spend your evenings sitting on a cozy couch watching Netflix? Recent studies suggest this could be the new silent killer. Are your children in sports, or perhaps you coach kid’s sports? Parents can be a major distractor, and actually do harm to their child’s love of the game, as well as affect the team and coaches ability to actually coach. Thinking to the future and concerned what the cost of college tuition will be? There are some great online resources that will calculate how much to save on a monthly basis to meet future tuition costs. Is a 529 College Savings plan the best approach to invest your monthly college savings? Finally, do you know how to give the Heimlich maneuver? We and are loved ones are quite susceptible to choking, and there are many good online resources to prepare you to assist someone in need.

Mind

• Do you enjoy cold water? Perhaps to drink, but likely not to shower, swim, or bathe in. Unfortunately for most of us, the health benefits of cold water therapy or cold water immersion may be too numerous, and hard to ignore. Ugh!

• • https://www.healthline.com/health/cold-water-therapy#benefits
  • Insightful article on how to take a cold shower… “And the only way to get yourself to actually take a cold shower is to push through that fear.”  https://themindofsteel.com/cold-shower-mental-toughness/
  • Here’s one person’s personal experience with cold showers for 30 days (including the mental anguish and perceived health benefits). https://medium.com/lifetizr/i-took-a-cold-shower-everyday-for-30-days-393d9f99138e
  • Of course we can’t talk cold immersion benefits without mentioning the Ice Man himself, Wim Hof. https://www.wimhofmethod.com/benefits
  • I do a simple and quick cold water therapy each morning. I simply end my warm shower with 30 to 60 seconds on cold (I try to turn it all the way cold, but it’s not bearable in the winter for longer than 10 seconds, but I’m working on it!). I always feel invigorated, alert, and more focused after. It’s simple, quick, and effective!

Body

• I recently heard that sitting is the new cigarette health crisis. As someone that sits much of the day in front of a computer, I decided to begin standing. I now stand while working, and take mini sit or walk breaks. I don’t necessarily feel any noticeable difference, but it seems it’s the long term benefits we’re after. Following are two great articles on why you should consider sitting less, and standing and/or moving more.  Enjoy!

• • Mayo Clinic, What are the risks of sitting too much? – “Any extended sitting — such as at a desk, behind a wheel or in front of a screen — can be harmful.”
  • Cancer.org, Sitting Time Linked to Higher Risk of Death from All Causes – “Previous studies have linked prolonged sitting time with death from cancer, heart disease, and ‘all other causes.’”

Food

•  11 Healthy Vegan Foods:  https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-vegans-eat

Recipe of the Week

•  Healthy baked salmon:  https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/roasted-salmon-salsa-verde

Kids

• As a parent, should you be cheering, encouraging, and coaching from the sidelines of your child’s sporting events? Well, it depends. There should be an understanding of the negative effects, as well as the importance of balance of just letting your kid play. Following are two articles on how to handle the sidelines as a parent, and the negative effects to your child (and the team) if you can’t find that sweet spot (i.e. don’t be the “Super Cheerleader or “Sniper”).
  • End the Sideline “Sportsanity” – https://changingthegameproject.com/time-end-sideline-sportsanity/
  • How Parents’ Sideline Behavior Can Help and Hurt Young Athletes – https://www.youthsportspsychology.com/youth_sports_psychology_blog/how-parents-sideline-behavior-can-hurt-and-help-young-athletes/

Podcast

• Why Mental Models with Sanjay Bakshi — Insights from professor and value investing guru Sanjay Bakshi on the power of mental models, multidisciplinary thinking, reading, and acquiring worldly wisdom.  I truly enjoy and appreciate every podcast I’ve listened to on FS.blog, and this is a great foundational podcast on mental models.

Books

• Why Vegan? Eating Ethically, by Peter Singer.  Singer brings together the most consequential essays of his career to make this devastating case against our failure to confront what we are doing to animals, to public health, and to our planet.

Quote of the Week

• “Only when we have become non-violent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves” – Cesar Chavez

Gear

• Who doesn’t like and need a good camping chair! As campers (actually “glampers”) and regular supporters of our children’s sporting events, a good camping chair is essential! This is a great list of some of the best and most unique camping chairs out there!  https://www.cleverhiker.com/camping-chairs

Give

• Animal Welfare Institute – “We seek better treatment of animals everywhere— in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild.”

• • Charity Navigator Score:  4 of  4 stars

Personal Finance

• How to start saving for your child’s college expenses – https://www.npr.org/2019/09/09/759013909/how-to-save-for-your-kids-college-education
• College tuition costs when it’s time for your child to attend – This awesome calculator provides estimated future costs, and calculates how much to save (and contribute monthly) to fund all or a portion of your child’s estimated college tuition. Very cool! College Tuitions and Savings calculator
• How to choose a 529 College Savings account for your child.  https://www.savingforcollege.com/article/how-to-select-a-529-plan
  • 529 Comparison List by Cost and Performance.  https://www.savingforcollege.com/intro-to-529s/which-is-the-best-529-plan-available

Wild Card

• As a parent of small children choking is always a concern. My wife has already applied the Heimlich method on both of our children! As we, our friends, and parent’s age, knowing CPR may be more important than ever. Following are some resources on how and where to learn these life saving techniques.
  • Heimlich Training (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXaLc-AwX2g
    • Baby (less than 1): https://www.mottchildren.org/health-library/chkng#aa111986
    • Child (older than 1): https://www.mottchildren.org/health-library/chkng#aa111963
  • CPR & First Aid Online Courses (paid): https://americanheartsaver.com/online-courses/
  • CPR & First Aid Classroom and Online (paid): https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/first-aid/first-aid-training/first-aid-online